Antibacterial laundry oil and dust control oil composition

ABSTRACT

A laundry oil containing 0.02 to 2.0 percent benzyl bromoacetate as an antibacterial agent and the process of laundering mops and other fabrics used to wipe dust with such oil.

United State [111 3,740,190 are 1 June 19, 1973 [54] ANTIBACTERIAL LAUNDRY OIL AND DUST 3,658,700 4/1972 Lederer 426/31 1 X CONTROL OIL COMPOSITION 2,842,441 7/1958 Kuen 426/311 X 3,668,133 6/1972 ljiiri 202/106 X Inventorl Richard Ware, 3,391,079 7/1968 Greenblatt.... 202/88 x 3 200 036 8/1965 Greenblatt.... 202/88 X [73] Assigneez Sun 011 Company of Pennsylvania,

Philadelphia, Pa. 3,577,215 5/1971 lmpulllttl .1. 8/137 X [22] Filed: Oct. 1, 1971 1 P ima mm 'M y l? V r. r PP 185,850 Attorney-George L. Church, Donald R. Johnson,

Wilmer E. McCorquodale et a].

[52] US. Cl. 8/137, 8/142, 106/15, 1

162/161, 252/88, 252/106, 424/168, 424/270 57 ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl. B080 3/00 [58] Field of Search 8/137, 142; 202/106, A laundry 0 containing 002 to 21 percent benzyl 162/161; 424/168 bromo-acetate as an antibacterial agent and the process of laundering mops and other fabrics used to wipe 1 v References Cited dust with such oil. UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,125,487 3/1964 Hutchinson 202/106 X 5 Claims, No Drawings ANTIBACTERIAL'LAUNDRY OIL AND DUST CONTROL OIL COMPOSITION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a new laundry oil composition containing a bactericide which is suitable for use in a combination oiling-laundering process, the process of laundering fabrics with this new laundry oil composition and the fabrics impregnated with the new laundry oil composition.

In the past oiled fabrics such as mops, dust cloths, walk-off mats, etc., have found widespread use due to their improved effectiveness in removing dust as compared with similar fabrics which have not been oiled. General practice has been to launder to soiled fabric using conventional water and a detergent or soap laundering followed by re-oiling of the fabric. More recently a process of laundering the soiled fabrics by immersing them in a clean warm (150-180F.) laundry oil which is circulated past the fabrics to remove the soil has been. developed. The soil particles are then removed from the laundry oil by filtration. The process offers'numerous advantages such as reduced wear on the fabrics during laundering and in reduced pollution since there is no detergent and oil removed during laundering to be disposed of. However, the bactericides previously used in the fabric impregnating oils have proven to be unsatisfactory for use in the new laundering oil impregnating process.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The fabrics which are conventionally impregnated with oil to aid in collecting dust include dust'mops, dust cloths and walk-off rugs or mats. These fabrics are impregnated with oil so that when they are passed over a surface they will pick up and retain the dust and dirt on that surface. While there is little possibility of redepositing the dirt from one surface onto another surface being cleaned, there is a chance that the microorganisms might be transferred. To deter such a transfer a bactericide is incorporated into the oil composition. There is almost always some moisture'adsorbed on the surface of the dirt particles and it is this aqueous medium which contains microorganisms. Therefore, it is important that there be a migration from the oil impregnant in a dust control fabric to this aqueous phase in order to kill bacteria. Thus the laundry oil must contain within itself a miscible component which also can effectively migrate to the hydrous dirt particles. Water solubility and hydrocarbon miscibility are generally incompatible properties except through the use of coupling agents and in fact the imparting of antibacterial activity to an oil for this type of application has generally been regarded as not feasible.

It should be pointed out that oil alone reduces growth of most bacteria becauseit isolates them from their nutrient'sources in the aqueous phase and also extracts vital components from their structures. However, the present invention is not concerned about such passive destruction of bacteria but rather a composition which actively destroys bacteria in dirt or aqueous phases in contact with oil. Thus when a disc of fabric impregnated with the oilcomposition of the present invention is placed on a nutrient medium having a bacteria culture growing thereon the bacteria are killed not only under the disc of fabric but also in a ring around the fabric disc which ring isseveral mm. wide. This is known as bacteriostatic activity. Many of the usual bactericides such as ortho-phenyl phenol have been found to be ineffective for the present purpose in the concentrations desired. The salts of these compounds, such as sodium o-phenylphenate, would enhance bacteriostatic' activity, but the metal salts are immiscible in hydrocarbon oils. The bactericide also must not give off noxious fumes because the operator removing the fabrics from the processing equipment will be exposed to such.

O l (CoH5CH2O CHzBr) overcomes all of the above-stated problems and imparts satisfactory bacterial properties to laundry oils. This compound is used in amounts of from 0.02 to 2.0 percent as based on the total composition. While larger amounts can be used if desired they are unnecessary. This material surprisingly is quite effective against microorganisms although it has a low toxicity to mammals in the concentrations used herein. This compound has a dermal LD 59 mgm/Kgm. in rabbits and an oral LD of 255 mgm/Kgm, in rats.

The base oils of the present invention are mineral oils and can be either paraffinic or naphthenic. Generally they have a viscosity of from 60 to 600 SUS at F., with from 100 to 300 SUS at 100F. being preferred.

Preferably the Lupirtoils of the present invention contain a dispersant to assist in removing aqueous soil from the dirty articles being cleaned. Generally the preferred dispersants are slats of alkyl sulfonatesgr salts of alkyl benzene sulfonates. In either case the mblecular weight generally is from 300 to 600. The alkali metal salts are preferred. Generally from 0.5 to 3.0 percent as based on the total composition of the dispersant is used.

The laundry oil preferably contains an antioxidant in an amount of from 0.01 to 0.5 percent as based on the total composition. Butylated hydroxy toluene is a preferred antioxidant.

The laundry oil may also contain an odorant to impart a fresh clean smell thereto. Alpine 16951, a complex mixture of essential oils and aromatics supplied by Alpine Aromatics, Inc. of Metuchen, NJ. is exemplary of preferred odorants. Generally from 0.02 to 0.2 percent as based on the total composition is used. Although odorants are conventionally used in this type of oil their use may be omitted in the case of the present oils because the benzyl bromoacetate imparts a desirable odor to the composition.

The composition of the present invention is also useful as a conventional oil fabric impregnant.

EXAMPLE I Fifty dirty mops are charged to a conventional laundry wheel having a lb. capacity which is connected by piping to an oil reservoir, an oil filter and a heat exchanger. Clean wann oil (F.) is continuously circulated from the reservoir into the laundry wheel containing the dirty mops and then through the filter back to the reservoir at a rate of 10 gaL/min. while the laundry wheel is operated. The oil level is half way up in the laundry wheel. The laundry oil contains 97.7 percent of 3 a nonstaining naphthenic mineral oil having a viscosity of 104 SUS at 100F. and 38 SUS at 210F., 2.0 percent of SUNAD E-07l2 a commercial sodium sulfonate dispersant having a molecular weight of 440-470, 0.1 percent butylated hydroxy toluene (antioxidant), 0.1 percent ofAlpine 16951 odorant, and 0.1 percent of ....b.enzyl. bromoacetate (antibacterial agent). After 30 minutes the oil is pumped out of the laundry wheel without recirculating it. The mops are then spun dry for 12 minutes and then aremanually unloaded from the apparatus. The cleaned mops contain 35 to 40 weight percent oil but are dry to the touch and appear in excellent condition.

EXAMPLE II A sample of 97.8 percent oil of Example I, 2.0 percent sodium alkyl aryl sulfonates, 0.03 percent Alpine 16951 odorant and 0.1 percent butylated hydroxy toluene is prepared and various antibacterial agents are added at the 0.1 percent level, and the samples tested for bacteriostatic activity on both E. coli (gram and S. aureus (gram in accordance with AATCC90- 1965, which is an agar plate test developed by the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorants. The benzyl bromoacetate of the present invention is the only bacterial agent of those listed below having significant antibacterial activity on both organisms. The others are: o-phenylphenol; hexahydro-l ,3,5- triethyl-S-triazine; monoethyl ether of ethylene glycol; B-bromo-B-nitrostyrene; hexahydro-1,3 ,5 ,-tris( 2- hydroxyethyl-S-triazine); benzoic acid; 2,3,4,6- tetrachlorophenol; butyl carbitol; ethylene glycol; tetrahydroacenaphthene; hexachlorophene; glutaraldehyde; propyl para-hydroxy benzoic acid; tributyl trioxide', 2,4-pentadione; p-nitrophenol; disodium ethylene bis-dithio carbamate; bis(2-hydroxy-5- chlorophenyl)sulfide; 4-bromoacetoxymethylene-mdioxolane; hexetidine; myristyl dimethylbenzyl ammonium chloride; p-tertiary amyl phenol. The benzyl bromoacetate exhibits a clear zone of 8.5 mm. on E. coli and 10.5 mm. on S. aureus when subjected to the above test whereas there is no clear zone when the above-mentioned materials are tested.

The invention claimed is:

l. A dust control fabric impregnated with a composition comprising a major portion of a naphthenic or paraffinic oil from about 0.02 to 2.0 percent as based on the total composition of benzyl bromoacetate.

2. The fabric of claim 1 wherein the fabric is in the form of a mop. I

3. The fabric of claim ll wherein the fabric is in the form of a walk-off mat.

4. A process of laundering dust control fabric wherein said fabric is immersed in a composition comprising a major portion of a naphthenic or paraffinic oil and from about 0.02 to 2 percent as based on the total composition of benzyl bromoacetate, causing a flow of said oil composition with respect to said fabric whereby said oil composition removes soil particles from said fabric, and said soil particles are removed from said oil by filtration.

5. The process of claim 4 wherein the fabric is in the forrnofamop. 

2. The fabric of claim 1 wherein the fabric is in the form of a mop.
 3. The fabric of claim 1 wherein the fabric is in the form of a walk-off mat.
 4. A process of laundering dust control fabric wherein said fabric is immersed in a composition comprising a major portion of a naphthenic or paraffinic oil and from about 0.02 to 2 percent as based on the total composition of benzyl bromoacetate, causing a flow of said oil composition with respect to said fabric whereby said oil composition removes soil particles from said fabric, and said soil particles are removed from said oil by filtration.
 5. The process of claim 4 wherein the fabric is in the form of a mop. 